handmade cards

Lovely Snail Mail!

Postcards have been arriving from iHanna’s Postcard Swap. Just look at these beautiful postcards…

Thanks Michelle for this one! My kids thought I made it – totally my style.

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This one’s traveled ll the way from Hawaii, thanks Roscoe! I see the islands, don’t you?

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I love the simplicity of this one from Austen, Texas USA, thanks Jill. Find more of her creativity on Jillybeans. I hope I got the orientation right, but I think it works either way.

dinnys garden | iHanna DIY Postcard Swap

This Delaware pigeon flew from Carol Stream, Illinois USA. Thanks for making me smile Mike!

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What beautiful layering from San Franciso, California USA, thanks Kathy!

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This beauty if from Richmond, Virginia USA, just love all of the bits. Thanks Ellen, nice to meet you too!

dinnys garden | iHanna DIY Postcard Swap

What good fortune to get this one from Washington State, USA. Thanks Stephanie, what beautiful texture!

dinnys garden | iHanna DIY Postcard Swap

Postcards are finished!

Well, the fronts are finished for the iHanna DIY Postcard Swap! They just need to be addressed and taken to the post office. Actually, I’m stressing a bit over what to write on the backs, I’m not much of a writer.

I’m happy with these 12…

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Funny how plans change as I do things like this. As I start working on one, I change things that I DID like about another one. It is a process of evolving and knowing when to stop. Or simply time is forcing me to stop, because of a deadline.

Creating like this can be difficult for me because I miss the luxury of a computer. There is no way to nudge type, or make it bolder, or a few points larger, or the brown a little redder, or the yellow not so saturated… It is what it is. I find this helpful for me to loosen up and forgo perfection.

Not sure which 2 I will keep!

iHanna DIY Postcard Swap

Several weeks ago I read about iHanna’s Postcard Swap and REALLY wanted to do it, but thought it best not to commit until I knew the deadline would be met. Today I committed! The postcards WILL be completed by May 1! The backgrounds were started a bit ago with paint and custom carved stamps on 9×12 watercolor paper.

iHanna DIY Postcard Swap mixed media collage

The backwards text is from an old book. I used an image transfer technique of applying matte medium to the book page, adhering it to the painted page, and let it dry for a few minutes. By picking up a corner of the page, you can tell if the text is transferring. If it’s not, let it dry for a little longer. As I remove the page, a nice irregular amount of text remains behind. Not sure how to take photos of this because my hands were a mess and bits of sticky paper were all over the place! Here are some of the details.

iHanna DIY postcard swap

The papers got a bit warped, but they’ll get flatter – I hope!

Using a piece of scrap card stock, I cut a template as a guide for trimming. Basically a 4×6 window from a larger scrap. It helped me compose 13 postcards from my 5 originals. Here are my favorites, so far. After cropping I’ve been adding extra details. There was no theme when I started, but I’m sensing a “hello” theme. Who knows what they will end up like when I’m all finished.

dinny iHanna DIY postcard swap

dinny iHanna DIY postcard swap

hi card

This card was made by punching coordinating papers with the Fiscars small hexagon shaped punch. I positioned them on a scrap, then glued into position. I left a hexagon out to stamp “hi”.

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I  hand cut feathers out of cardstock then used the same ink from the “hi” to add color to them. Dusted the edges with a pink stamp for extra dimension. Tied small glass beads to cotton cord and tied them to the card.

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